Taylor, MI Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Section 18.05(d) of the Taylor Zoning Ordinance applies to every permitted sign in the city, including billboards sited separately in Section 18.06(b)(2), and it is the operative lighting standard because the billboard-specific siting rules set no separate illumination limits of their own. Under Section 18.05(d), a sign may only be lit by steady, stationary, shielded light sources using approved electrical devices aimed solely at the sign or built internally into it; the planning commission may allow an animated sign only if the message or scene changes at a frequency that is not distracting to passersby.

Glaring, undiffused lights or bulbs are prohibited, and any fixture must be shaded or shielded downward so light does not project onto adjoining properties or streets. Bare bulbs, neon and luminous tubing or open flame cannot be used to illuminate a sign, with a single carve-out for bare bulbs on theater marquees. Any illuminated sign not attached to a building must run on underground wiring. Because billboards sit on lots adjacent to I-94 in the I-1 and I-2 districts under Section 18.06(b)(2), these lighting limits control glare toward the freeway and neighboring residential districts. The Development Services Department enforces sign lighting compliance through its inspection authority under Section 18.08.